Solons urge gov't to review RA 10754 as 'fake PWDs' proliferate

Two lawmakers have urged the government to review Republic Act 10754 or the Act Expanding the Benefits and Privileges of Persons with Disability, and called for a crackdown on people impersonating PWDs.

Ang Probinsyano party-list representative Ronnie Ong, and ACT-CIS party-list representative Eric Yap are calling on the Department of Health (DoH), the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) for a review of the said law as unauthorized use of the PWD cards to get discounts make it harder for the country’s business sector amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ong claimed the RA 10754 is being abused by people faking disability to avail of discounts and privileges provided for PWDs, which also causes huge financial losses to the government as well.

Ong added the law has very little safeguard against people impersonating a PWD, and that it does not have a uniform specification on the proof of entitlement, making it easy for people to produce fake PWD identification cards.

Under the law, PWDs are given an automatic 20% direct discount and are VAT exempt on purchases of certain goods and services from all establishments for their exclusive use, among many other privileges.

Under RA10754, PWD IDs can be issued by the Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO) or the City and/or Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (C/MSWDO) for persons with the following types of disabilities:

• Psychosocial disability – Includes bipolar disorder, depression, ADHD, schizophrenia, epilepsy, and other long-term and recurring mental or behavioral issues;
• Disability resulting from a chronic illness – Includes orthopedic disability due to cancer, blindness due to diabetes, and other disabilities due to a chronic disease;
• Learning disability – Includes processing problems that hinder learning math, reading, writing, and other basic skills;
• Visual disability – Simple poor eyesight doesn’t automatically qualify a person for a PWD ID unless the visual impairment can’t be corrected.
• Orthopedic (Musculoskeletal) disability – Includes people with dwarfism and amputated hands or feet. Individuals with scoliosis may also apply for an ID.
• Mental/Intellectual disability
• Hearing disability
• Speech impairment
• Multiple disabilities

Ong and Yap believe while some disabilities are obvious to the naked eye, others are hard to determine and can be easily faked.

Thus, Ong urged the government to recall all old PWD IDs and re-issue new ones subject to full verification by either the DOH or the NCDA.

Also, the two suggested for the creation of a national PWD database, with PWDs having their own Quick Response codes (QR Codes) or machine-readable bar codes containing their details that can be checked and verified online through mobile apps when claiming discounts.

“These fake PWDs are bad for businesses, especially the small ones. They are faking their disability and are abusing the PWD Law just to get discounts. Our business sector is barely surviving these days and it is the duty of the government to make sure that they are protected from these kinds of consumer abuse,” Ong said.

Yap added that Local Government Units (LGUs) should strictly conduct screening process to ensure only legitimate PWDs can avail of the discounts and other privileges provided under RA 10754.

Moreover, the lawmakers said the proliferation of fake PWD IDs is unfair to real PWDs as it unnecessarily puts a stigma against them, with some people thinking they are just "faking" their disability for a discount card. —LBG, GMA News